Cognitive and Noncognitive Factors Influencing Nursing Students' Academic Success: Structural Equation Model Analysis

AIM The study aim was to identify and explore relationships among cognitive and noncognitive factors that may contribute to prelicensure baccalaureate nursing students' academic success across their program of study. BACKGROUND Nurse educators are challenged to improve students' academic success. With limited evidence, cognitive and noncognitive factors have been identified in the literature as potential factors that influence academic success and may support students' readiness for practice as new graduate nurses. METHOD Data sets from 1,937 BSN students at multiple campuses were analyzed using an exploratory design and structural equation modeling. CONCLUSION Six factors were conceptualized as contributing equally to the initial cognitive model. The final noncognitive model, with deletion of two factors, yielded the best fit for the four-factor model. Cognitive and noncognitive factors were not significantly correlated. This study provides a beginning understanding of cognitive and noncognitive factors associated with academic success that may support readiness for practice.